5 Facts About Immigration Policy Separating Children From Parents, 1,475 Missing Children

Young protesters call for an immigration bill to address the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program at a rally in 2017 on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. | (Photo: Reuters/Joshua Roberts)

The contentious debate over immigration has intensified amid reports of the government losing track of 1,475 children and a new, controversial policy of separating children from their parents at the border.

Some of the media chatter has wrongly conflated the issue of losing track of children with the Trump administration's new policy of separating children from families that arrive at the U.S. border illegally, a move that appears to be aimed at deterring more families from coming altogether.

Here are five things to know about the developments over immigration, the plight of children being separated from their parents, and the kids who are unaccounted for at present.